Steve Jobs' creations have had a huge impact on my life. My childhood (Apple is strong in the educational market) and my work (graphic design) all focused around Apple Computers. Now the company has taken over my life with my lovely 3GS iPhone that I still won't trade up for an iPhone 4. My 3GS works just fine thank you.

But seriously, this man and his company has changed how I listen to music, manage my life, keep in contact with friends, and do my job. Without Apple's innovations my life would be very different. In fact, last night I heard of his passing by an update on my iPhone while I was designing the front page of the Thursday Herald/Review on a Mac computer.

The first Apple computer I ever used was in elementary school. My class would go off once a week to do MathBlaster in the computer lab. We loved it because the computers were colorful and engaging. The first Apple computer my family owned was a Performa. I have many fond memories of that machine. I learned to play Oregon Trail, how to type with Mavis Beacon, and first went on America Online. In high school yearbook class, we had the first G series towers along side really old LCIIs... it was an interesting environment. When I went off to college I was granted the luxury of a G3 tower as a graduation gift. Then it was a parade of candy colored iMacs, G4s, OSX optimized machines from then on.

Steve Jobs was a creative, an innovator, an advocate for good design and user experience, a spiritual man, and someone who envisioned the future. He will be missed and I hope Apple keeps up with its corporate ideals reflected in its slogan: "Think Different."